AR and VR for Your Store: How to Choose a Technology and Measure Its Value

Start introducing augmented or virtual reality by identifying a specific customer question or staff task. If a customer finds it hard to picture a wardrobe in their room, try an AR visualization. If they only need to inspect a product from every angle, first check whether a standard 3D model, photos, and video will do. Consider VR for a specific training or demonstration scenario where immersion in a virtual environment is genuinely needed.

For an initial trial, choose a few products, check their dimensions and variants, and agree with the provider on supported devices and the full cost of support. Let customers access photos, dimensions, and ordering without using the camera. Decide whether to expand based on completed orders, returns, and costs, not on how many times the visualization was launched.

Choose between AR, VR, and a standard 3D model view

It helps to distinguish three ways of presenting a product. Augmented reality, or AR, overlays a digital object on an image of the real surroundings captured by a camera. Virtual reality, or VR, immerses the user in a digitally created environment, usually through a headset. A standard 3D view lets users rotate a three-dimensional model on screen without placing it in a room.

These are recommendations for choosing a format, not a promise of financial returns. If customers mostly ask about materials, what is included, or delivery, add that information to the product page first. Spatial visualization should answer a question that a standard description leaves open.

Pair AR for furniture with accurate measurements

AR is worth trying when a customer wants to see how a sofa might look by a window, compare a shelving unit’s height with other furniture, or picture a table in a room. However, the image does not guarantee that the furniture will physically fit, pass through a doorway, or have exactly the same shade the customer sees on screen.

Place a diagram with the actual dimensions—width, height, and depth—next to the view button. For convertible furniture, include dimensions in both positions; for wardrobes, show the space needed to open the doors. Ask customers to measure the installation space and the route for bringing the item in. Photos of details and video can help clarify color and texture, as can physical material samples if your store offers them.

Illustrative example: A customer plans to put a cabinet 120 cm wide in an alcove 124 cm wide. The difference is 4 cm, but the AR visualization alone does not confirm that this clearance is sufficient. The salesperson should help check the actual dimensions, protrusions, baseboards, and installation requirements for that specific product.

Set up a trial for 3–5 products

A recommended starting scope is 3–5 product listings. This is a suggestion for organizing the work, not a technical limit. Choose products with clear specifications, available samples, and enough stock so the trial does not end as soon as it launches.

1. Write down the customer’s question. For example: “Will this shelving unit fit in my workspace?” This determines which model properties need especially careful checking.
2. Identify the exact variant. For each product, record its item number or SKU (stock keeping unit), a unique code for that product listing, its name, dimensions, material, color, and what is included. Before using the same 3D model for a different product size, verify that it accurately represents that size.
3. Gather source materials. Ask the supplier for technical drawings, current photos, and a ready-made 3D model if one is available. Specify who will confirm the model’s accuracy and which physical sample they will use.
4. Agree on how materials may be used. Before ordering the work, clarify in writing the permitted uses of photos, drawings, models, and textures; whether they may be changed or passed to another provider; and which source files the store will receive after payment.
5. Assign an owner. One store employee should approve that the model matches the product, while a named provider should fix technical errors and update files.

During acceptance, compare the model with the physical product or supplier materials that have been verified. Check units of measurement, dimensions, proportions, legs, handles, opening direction, and what is included. For color variants, confirm that customers see the selected option. If the exact shade cannot be verified, explain this next to the visualization and give customers a way to confirm the color.

Check phones, browsers, and access without a camera

Do not accept the claim “works on all smartphones.” Ask the provider for a list of supported phones, operating systems, and browsers, and have them demonstrate the result on real devices from that list. Also check the page on a computer and on a phone where AR is unavailable.

For example, the official model-viewer component documentation describes different ways to launch AR: WebXR in a browser, Scene Viewer, and Quick Look. The AR button appears on devices that support the relevant mode. WebXR requires the page to run over HTTPS; if it is embedded in another page, the appropriate permission must also be enabled in the embedding settings. The provider should check these requirements.

The same documentation states that webpage interface elements are not automatically carried over into Scene Viewer or Quick Look. So during acceptance, check variant selection, labels, and how to return to purchasing separately in each agreed mode. Having these elements in the standard 3D view does not confirm they will be available after AR launches.

Include the following checks in the scope of work:

• The product page opens with photos, price, dimensions, and an available way to order without launching the camera.
• The customer chooses to tap a clear button such as “View in your room,” and only then does the page request the necessary access.
• If the customer denies access or the device does not support AR, they can continue viewing photos, a dimension diagram, and video.
• The model matches the selected item number, and its scale does not change without the customer noticing.
• After leaving AR, the customer can return to the relevant product page and complete the order.

To assess dimensions, ask the provider to lock the model’s scale. The model-viewer documentation provides a setting that prevents users from scaling the object in the three AR modes described. This helps avoid arbitrary enlargement or reduction, but does not replace checking real dimensions or measuring the room.

Agree on camera behavior before launch

Set out in the project requirements that the camera starts only at the user’s request and that continuous recording does not take place. Ask the provider to explain in writing whether frames remain on the device, whether anything is sent to an external service, what data is stored, and how access ends when the session is over. Check the implementation’s behavior before publication.

What you tell customers should match the service’s verified behavior. Do not say “we do not store anything” unless the provider has confirmed it. To evaluate the trial, define the events you need in advance, such as launching the view and moving to an order, so you do not commission collection of room images without a specific need.

Calculate creation, support, and project closeout costs

Ask for an itemized estimate. This lets you compare proposals for the same scope and understand what it will cost to add another product variant.

Include store staff time for checking and approval in the budget. Give providers the same list of products, variants, and devices to compare their proposals. Do not assume in advance that AR will necessarily cost less than VR: compare estimates for specific scenarios.

Decide who updates and removes models

Keep a simple register with the item number, model link, verified dimensions, responsible employee, and approval status. When a supplier changes a product’s design, material, or included items, the responsible employee should stop showing a mismatched model until it has been checked again.

If a variant is out of stock, make sure its display matches its availability status so customers understand whether they can order it. Remove the active purchase offer for variants that are no longer sold. Before ending a service contract, check that photos, specifications, and ordering remain available after the viewer is switched off.

Measure completed orders, returns, and costs

Before launch, decide which groups you will compare and over what period. One practical option is to randomly assign eligible visitors to two groups and preserve each visitor’s assigned group on return visits. One group sees the product page with AR, the other sees the same page without AR. Keep prices, delivery, discounts, and standard materials the same.

Compare all visitors assigned to each group, not just people who tapped the AR button with everyone else. People who choose to use the AR view may already have a stronger intent to buy. If random assignment is unavailable, record differences between periods or audiences and interpret the results cautiously.

• Conversion to a completed order: the number of orders that customers have paid for and received divided by the number of visitors in that group. Count orders and visitors using the same rules in both groups.
• Return rate: the number of returned orders divided by the number of completed orders in the same group. For partial returns, agree on a separate rule in advance or also count returned units.
• Cost per completed order: the costs assigned to the relevant group or the whole trial divided by its completed orders. Show one-time model creation costs and ongoing support separately.
• Reasons for returns: collect specific feedback about dimensions, color, what was included, and other reasons to understand what needs fixing.

Allow orders in both groups the same amount of time for returns to be observed. Do not compare older purchases, for which you have more complete data, with orders shipped yesterday.

Illustrative numerical example: Each group had 1,000 visitors. The group without AR had 40 completed orders—a 4% conversion rate. The group with AR had 45—a 4.5% rate. The difference is 0.5 percentage points. If 4 orders were returned in the first group, the return rate is 10%; if 5 were returned in the second, it is about 11.1%. These figures do not support a claim that AR reduced returns or caused an increase in sales.

Agree on conditions for continuing in advance: an acceptable support cost, no critical errors, and enough observations to make a decision. If visitor or completed order numbers are low, do not draw a conclusion about payback based on just a few purchases.

How to prepare photos, item numbers, and stock data in Torgsoft for an AR project

Before sending materials to the provider, check the selected product list against your stock records. The official Torgsoft help page “Warehouse Status” describes how to view the availability, quantity, size, and price of a specific product. Open Склад → Стан складу (Warehouse → Warehouse Status), find the required item, then use Змінити (Edit) to check the name and item number in the product card. Prepare a separate approved list for the project with the item number or SKU, name, actual dimensions, variant, photo, and availability status. Give it to the provider as a reference so the model shown matches the exact item the store sells. Assign an employee to recheck the list whenever the assortment changes. Also confirm dimensions and materials against a sample or supplier documentation, so the provider does not have to determine them from a photo alone.

To add an image, follow the Torgsoft instructions for linking a photo: open the Товар (Product) edit form from Документ → Прихід товару (Document → Goods Receipt) or Склад → Стан складу (Warehouse → Warehouse Status), go to the Фото (Photos) tab, and click Відкрити фото з файлу (Open photo from file). To check it in “Warehouse Status,” use Фотографія товару → Показати фотографію товару (Product Photo → Show Product Photo). Choose a photo of the specific variant, especially when color, handles, or what is included differ. This process helps prepare the inventory data and photos for the provider to check; agree separately on the creation and placement of the AR visualization.

Define a task for a staff member or visitor in VR

Consider VR once you can describe a specific action and how to measure its result. For example, in a training scenario, a staff member must find the relevant product parts and correctly explain the assembly sequence. In a virtual showroom, a visitor must compare specified configurations and tell the salesperson which one they chose. These are suggested scenarios, not claims that a particular provider has a ready-made solution.

Ask for a demonstration of your specific task and compare it with a standard video, instructions, or a physical sample. For training, assess task completion after the session, the number of mistakes, and mentor time. For a showroom, check whether the visitor can complete their selection and move on to a consultation or order.

Include headsets, compatible equipment, content, setup, cleaning, storage, and staff time to help users in the estimate. Prepare the space according to the device manufacturer’s requirements, provide a clear area, and make it possible to end a session immediately if someone feels uncomfortable. Keep an alternative way to view the content on a standard screen. Buy equipment after a demonstration in which a staff member or visitor successfully completes the agreed task.